Related resources for this article

(1761–1816). American lawyer and public official Samuel Dexter served in both houses of the U.S. Congress in the 1790s. He also held cabinet positions under U.S. President John Adams.

Samuel Dexter was born on May 14, 1761, in Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard College (now University) in 1781 and then studied law with Levi Lincoln, who would go on to serve as attorney general of the United States under President Thomas Jefferson. Dexter was admitted to the bar in 1784 and shortly thereafter began practicing law in Massachusetts.

Dexter entered political life in 1788 as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He served in that capacity until 1790. Three years later he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he stayed for one term. In 1799 Dexter was elected to the U.S. Senate, but he resigned the next year when President Adams appointed him secretary of war. He performed the duties of secretary of the U.S. Treasury for a few months in 1801 after Oliver Wolcott resigned the position. Dexter subsequently returned to practicing law.

In 1814 Dexter declined President James Madison’s invitation to serve as minister to Spain. About the same time he was an unsuccessful candidate for governor of Massachusetts. Dexter died on May 4, 1816, in Athens, New York.

It’s here: the NEW Britannica Kids website!

We’ve been busy, working hard to bring you new features and an updated design. We hope you and your family enjoy the NEW Britannica Kids. Take a minute to check out all the enhancements!

The same safe and trusted content for explorers of all ages.

Accessible across all of today's devices: phones, tablets, and desktops.

Improved homework resources designed to support a variety of curriculum subjects and standards.

A new, third level of content, designed specially to meet the advanced needs of the sophisticated scholar.

Want to see it in action?

Start a free trial

E-mail

To

From

Sender NamePlease enter your name.

Sender EmailPlease enter a valid email address.

Translate this page

Choose a language from the menu above to view a computer-translated version of this page. Please note: Text within images is not translated, some features may not work properly after translation, and the translation may not accurately convey the intended meaning. Britannica does not review the converted text.

After translating an article, all tools except font up/font down will be disabled. To re-enable the tools or to convert back to English, click "view original" on the Google Translate toolbar.